Anaesthetic
by Apossibly
Summary: Lavinia and her twin brother Sebastian have always shared a profound and intimate bond. However, when the spiritual ties between brother and sister are threatened, the twins are forced to seek the help of the man they consider to be both their Savior and their nemesis, Severus Snape.
1. Chapter 1

**A/U-DISCLAIMER~ **Well obviously I don't own Harry Potter otherwise I'd be in Milan right now blowing all my earnings on impractical shoes. Please R&R and enjoy!**  
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Anaesthetic

The attic, located at the highest point in Snape Manor, was also the quietest spot in the house. From here, the only sound that could be heard was the whisper of the wind, the soft patter of rain fall, and the occasional sigh from one of the portraits, left behind and abandoned from the brightly lit hallways and parlor rooms they used to call their home. Many dark and mysterious heirloom can be found here, but for Lavinia, the beauty that the attic held was its silence. Here, she was able to find a small shred of peace. It was the attic where Lavinia felt safest, and where she went to get away.

It was also where He found her.

The first time, He startled her. She had been sitting on an old sofa, legs stretched out, thoughts far away. He gazed at her several minutes before she finally noticed his presence.

She didn't flinch, yell, or even move when she finally did notice Him. Instead, she met his gaze, her dark brown eyes tunneling into His never-ending and omnipresent black ones.

A moment passed.

Then two.

Finally, Lavinia spoke. Her voice, soft, feminine, and lower then one would guess for her age, vibrated against the walls.

"Is there something you want?"

The question hung in the air several seconds before it was called to rest by His answer.

"No."

Then, in a swift movement, His black cloak billowing out from behind him, He was gone, retreating back down the stairs.

Lavinia had not noticed that she had been holding her breath until he had left.

Several more moments passed before Lavinia allowed herself to slip back in to her thoughts.

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs where what brought Lavinia out of her private state of consciousness. This time, Lavinia felt no anxiety or fear whatsoever.

The figure paused just outside the attic doorway and waited permission before entering.

"Come in Sebastian, I was hoping you would come up"

Sebastian walked into the attic and met his sister's hypnotic gaze with his own piercing, sapphire blue eyes.

"I was worried about you. You didn't come down for dinner. He wasn't at dinner either. I started thinking…." Sebastian's voice trailed off. There was no need to finish his sentence, everything had been stated before.

Lavinia gave him a look that neither comforted nor frightened Sebastian. She beckoned him to sit beside her on the ancient sofa.

"I brought you something." Sebastian gently grabbed Lavinia's hand and placed a dried lophophora williamssi slice in her palm. Cupping her hand around it, Sebastian whispered the same four words he said to her every time he brought her one of the buttons from his collection.

"Have a safe trip"

Lavinia smiled at his back as Sebastian left her to be alone again with her thoughts. Wasting no time at all, Lavinia examined the button before taking a large bite out of it.

Not the traditional way to ingest it but it would work for her purposes.

Lavinia laid back against the sofa, closed her eyes, and fell into a world that was all too familiar for her.

…

Hours later, Lavinia woke up to find herself curled up in the fetal position on the floor of His bedroom. Her arms were covered in thick scratches, some of them still bleeding, and her long brown hair had managed to come out of its bun. Her clothes were still on, but this observation did not necessary mean much to her.

Lavinia slowly rose from the floor and fully expected her body to fight back. She was surprised when, after she stood up, that she felt more refreshed and rested than she had in a long time. It was as if, some deep down animalistic sense, had found the one place in the house (besides the attic) where she truly could get some relief.

Ironic that this oasis would be in the middle of His sanctuary. Oh, the irony of it all.

Lavinia had not been aware that she was being watched until she heard Him clear His throat.

Lavinia turned around slowly, not wanted to look at Him until absolutely necessary.

"Lavinia" He whispered, the accent in his voice quivering with fury and an emotion that she could not entirely place.

Lavinia faced Him, and flicked a piece of her hair out of her face. She didn't waste time with her first words to Him.

Her voice calm, her words carefully chosen.

"Why am I here? What has happened to me?"

He looked at her, His face betraying no signs of inward thought. His mouth opened, and he spoke words that Lavinia would have given her soul not to hear.

"Child, you came here. You brought this on yourself".

It was several minutes before Lavinia realized that the strange noise she was hearing was the sound of her own screams.

He walked over to her, grabbed her arm and yanked her to the other side of the room. Pushing her against the wall, He used his other free hand to cover her coral red mouth.

"Calm yourself down Child. Do you want Her to hear you?" When this method did nothing to sooth the wails coming from under His fingers, He resorted to using the back of his hand against her lily white cheek.

Lavinia's cries quieted down to a whimper, and after a few more beats, drifted off into an uncomfortable silence.

When He was certain that she would remain her composure, He removed his hand from her mouth. Blood ran down the side of her face where he had struck her. A simple charm healed the wound, but He did nothing about the blood. Instead, He guided her to one of the several lounge chairs in the room, and pushed her down into it.

"Lavinia." Her name twisted out of His mouth, slithering down and around the room until the sound of His voice reached her ears. Instinctively, she recoiled from the sound, drawing her knees up to her chest in a protective fashion.

"Lavinia". This time, there was no arguing the pure, unadulterated hatred in His voice. Whatever compassion He may have felt for her had been replaced with revulsion, disgust, and regret.

Lavinia looked Him in the eye at the second coming of her name. She couldn't hold His gaze for more than a couple of seconds. Lavinia looked down at the floor, and wondered where Sebastian was at this moment. She considered asking Him, but thought better of it.

"Child, there is no excuse for what you have done. There is no redemption for the curse you have brought to this house. The pure horror of what you have unleashed…." a pause, while He tried to gain some small fragment of composure. He cleared his throat and continued. "…..can never be taken back. If I had my way, you would be dead." Here, He paused again, and looked to see if His words had any effect. He did not detect any feeling from the girl.

He walked slowly and methodically to the other side of the room, opened the door that lead to the dressing room, and returned to Lavinia's side with a box.

The box that He held in His hand quivered and shook and seemed to move of its own accord.

Lavinia's eyes grew wide and she began to comprehend what was about to happen to her. She rose to her feet, but He was quicker, and several seconds later she found her hands and legs bound, and her torso chained to the chair.

"Please, don't!" Lavinia meant to whisper this request, but instead, it came out as a painful cry. "Please, have mercy on me! I can fix everything! I can right the wrongs. I can and will do what needs to be done to fix everything, but please, please don't do this!" A single tear escaped from Lavinia's eye and fell down towards the floor.

Her pleads fell on deft ears, and He did not acknowledge her cries as he slowly opened the box.

The Boggart, confused by the presence of two people in the room, had trouble gaining a legitimate shape. For several seconds it settled on the form of red hair dripping with blood, before shifting again into the shape of a white mask. The mask exploded as the Boggart sensed the fear seeping out of the female entity in the corner of the room. The Boggart moved closer to the girl and with each step it took, its newly grown white blond hair grew longer and longer. The Boggart stopped in front of Lavinia, and smiled so wide that the sides of his face came dangerously close to ripping.

As He stepped out of the room, Lavinia stared into the face of Lucius Malfoy and screamed.


	2. Chapter 2

"Because in the school of the Spirit, man learns wisdom through humility, knowledge by forgetting, how to speak by silence, how to live by dying"-Johannes Tauler

Sebastian and Lavinia DiMera were born exactly one hour apart on a cold and rainy night. As luck would have it, Sebastian, being the older of the twins, had the luxury of claiming his birthday for his own. A New Year's Day baby, Sebastian was joined by his sister in the receiving crib at 12:15 am on the 2nd of January. Sebastian, the healthier of the two, was instantly bonded to his younger sister, and was aware early on just how deep the connection between the two of them went. Although Sebastian was his mother and father's favorite child, Lavinia was Sebastian favorite person. The two were inseparable; moments after they had exited the birthing canal, the two had formed a delicate and powerful communication style that only they understood. Their mother, a woman who had spent her entire marriage trying to conceive, and who was just now understating the over zealousness of her actions, was the first to notice this bond.

When it came time to feed the children, Mrs. DiMera noticed something odd. Sebastian, being the oldest, the favorite, and the only son, was brought to the wet nurse first. Try as she might, the wet nurse could not get the tiny baby to suck. Various techniques were used to try to get the hungry child to feed, but nothing the wet nurse tried could convince the youngling to take her milk. In an act of desperation, Mrs. DiMera resorted to using her own breast to feed her son. When this produced no effect, Mrs. DiMera called in the Healer to see what exactly was wrong. The Healer had no explanation, and so an attempt was made to try to feed the baby girl. When the wet nurse brought her nipple to Baby Lavinia's mouth, Baby Sebastian let out, what sounded to all present in the room, a sigh of relief. From that moment on, Sebastian would not feed until Lavinia had eaten, would not sleep until Lavinia's needs had been taken care of, and would not play unless Lavinia had been offered the best and the brightest of toys.

Young Sebastian took his role as guardian seriously. As the twins grew older, their bond grew deeper. Lavinia would not go where Sebastian was not, and Sebastian would not go where Lavinia would not follow. Although born of the same mother and father, at first appearance, Sebastian and Lavinia did not appear to share the same genetic code. Sebastian was the spitting image of his father, Gaius, and inherited the same light brown hair, blue eyes, and build as the patriarch. Livinia, on the other hand, developed a more exotic look, with wavy dark brown hair, and brown eyes that were narrow, sharp, and almost feline. There were many, both in the family and out of it, who believed that Mrs. DiMera was the reason for the drastic differences between the twins; and that it was due to her consumption of dandelion wine and spicy foods during the course of her pregnancy that caused the discrepancies between her twin children. However, upon closer inspection, one could begin to see the similarities; both children had the DiMera nose, skin as clear and smooth as alabaster, and thin, pale lips. It was these traits that put to rest the fear that perhaps the twins shared different fathers.

During the summer of the twin's fourth year, the DiMera's began to notice the twins magical abilities. Sebastian, in particular, was very magic sensitive, and it was not uncommon for the house elves and the maids of the DiMera family to come into the nursery and find toys, books and other items floating in mid air, or swirling around and around, as if caught in the middle of a tornado. Lavinia's magical abilities were more subtle, and seemed to compliment Sebastian's. There was no question in anyone's mind that the twins magical abilities were downright powerful when they were together. It was in this way that the family learned very early on that it was not wise to separate Sebastian and Lavinia for more than a few moments. The 3 occasions in which the twins were kept apart (once for illness, once for punishment, and once for the peace of the nanny watching them) found the house in disarray, mirrors shattered, house elves terrified, the nanny gone, not to be seen or heard from for weeks, and the twins back in each other's company. Together is where Sebastian and Lavinia were happiest, and it was together that they received their admission letter to Hogwarts.

It was at Hogwarts where the twins first ran into trouble. Sebastian was sorted first, and quickly into Ravenclaw. This came as no surprise, as the DiMera family were from a long, proud line of Ravenclaw's. However, when it was Lavinia's turn to be sorted, the sorting hat spent a very quiet 15 minutes on top of Lavinia's head. It was during the 16th minute that Professor McGonagall quickly rushed over and removed the hat, much to the surprise of all present in the Great Hall, and gently escorted Lavinia out of the room, and into the office of Professor Dumbledore. Dumbledore was kind, and offered Lavinia a chocolate drop. Dumbledore chatted with Lavinia for about an hour, and asked her many different questions, and encouraged her to speak her mind and say whatever she pleased. Besides the answers to the Professor's questions, the only thing Lavinia said was that she would prefer to be in the same dormitory as Sebastian. After this admission, Professor Dumbledore smiled kindly, yet sadly at her, and proceeded to write a letter to Mr. and Mrs. DiMera to regretfully inform them that Lavinia's magical education and needs could not be met by the staff at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Professor Dumbledore patted Lavinia on the shoulder before leaving her in the hands of Professor McGonagall, who was tasked with watching the girl until the DiMera's came to retrieve her. Lavinia was taken to the to the kitchen for her dinner. Lavinia did not eat, but instead waited for Sebastian. Lavinia did not have to wait long.

Sebastian, his face tired, his eyes emotionless, walked into the kitchen, school trunk in tow. Sebastian looked at Lavinia, Lavinia looked at Sebastian. Neither spoke for what seemed like a long while, until finally, Sebastian broke the ice.

'Shove over and let me have a bite of you treacle tart'. Lavinia happily obliged.

On the long ride back home, while Mr. and Mrs. DiMera were deciding what to do with the twins magical education, Lavinia and Sebastian spent their time eating chocolate frogs, playing cards, and discussing their short lived careers at Hogwarts. Sebastian waited until the right time before asking the question that was on his mind since he had seen his sister escorted away from the Great Hall.

"Liv, what did it say to you?'

Lavinia turned to her brother and looked him dead in the eye. She whispered to Sebastian the words that were whispered to her.

"Memory is a complicated thing, a relative to truth, but not its twin."


	3. Chapter 3

"Where does one go from a world of insanity? Somewhere on the other side of despair."-T.S. Eliot

Lavinia regained consciousness with a scream. She clutched wildly at the bed covers and tried desperately to catch her breath. The smell of him was still on her, and although she tried not to, she ended up being sick all over the bed.

'Liv, please calm down, it's over. I'm here'

Lavinia turned towards the sound of the voice. Sebastian was sitting in a chair, book in hand, a worried expression on his face.

Lavinia instantly calmed down. Sebastian's presences had a soothing effect on her, and after a couple more moments of gasping for air, Lavinia was able to gain some composure.

'What happened Liv? What did He do to you?'

Lavinia was silent for a moment before she answered

"He brought a Boggart. The Boggart was Lucius Malfoy. I tried so hard to fight it, but I couldn't..."

Sebastian moved from his chair in the corner to his sister's bedside, charmed away the sick, and wrapped his arms around her, pressing her head against his chest. Lavinia was limp in his arms, as she often was after a traumatic event.

The twins stayed this way for quite some time, until the bedroom door was charmed open with a sudden and powerful bang.

In the doorway stood their Guardian. Severus Snape.

"How is the child?" Snape directed his question to Sebastian.

"Not well."

"I have no doubt that she is still reeling from her...encounter." Snape tried to contain the hatred in his voice, but it was clear, had always been clear, that the concern he attempted to show was surface only. "When she is ready, bring her down to the dining room. She is waiting for her". With that, Snape turned and left the room, leaving the door wide open.

Sebastian placed his hands on the sides of Lavinia's face and lifted her head to the same height as hers.

"Are you able to do it? If not, I will got to Her, tell Her you are not feeling well-"

"No!" Lavinia's voice was clear and dangerous. She looked her brother dead in the eye. "I'll go. It's better if I go now. Besides, I don't think she will have much interest in me tonight, considering what happened with the Boggart". Lavinia gave Sebastian what she thought was a reassuring and brave smile. It gave Sebastian no comfort.

"Thank you for staying with me Sebastian. You are my rock and my shining star. Will you stay while I get ready for Her?"

Sebastian smiled at her, his first smile all night.

"Do you even have to ask?"

Sebastian stayed and read his book while Lavinia prepared herself for the evening. Preparing for an encounter with Her would normally be emotionally draining enough, but after the days events, Lavinia decided that she would not be able to last the evening without help. Lavinia drew herself a bath, filled it with a fragrance that She enjoyed, and called for Sebastian.

Sebastian was prepared for this, and walked into the bathroom, small package in hand. Lavinia was in her bath, surrounded by bubbles, but still exposed. Sebastian hid his shock and disgust at the bruises covering Lavinia's lily-white skin, and handed his sister the package.

"Liv, be careful with this. I don't want tonight to be a repeat of this afternoon"

Lavinia half-smiled at her brother, as she unwrapped the peyote button.

"I'll only take half, and I'll take it while you are here. Besides, I think She likes it when I do it. It makes it more fun for Her."

Sebastian gently patted his sister's hair, and returned to the bedroom and his book.

Lavinia finished her bath, and began the elaborate process of fixing her hair and makeup for the evening. Wardrobe selection proved to be more difficult. After several minutes of deliberation, she finally decided on the long, black, backless dress with the black lace sleeves. Lavinia liked the dress because it reminded her of her mother, and She liked the dress because it showed off every inch of Lavinia's curves. As an afterthought, Lavinia added a red rose to the side of her up-do. The flower looked out of place and awkward with the outfit, but for Lavinia, it was the finishing touch. Lavinia glanced at herself in the mirror, and without a change in expression, popped half the button in her mouth.

The drugs quickly took effect and after a few moments, the flower in Lavinia's hair began to speak.

"You look beautiful this evening" the flower whispered to her.

"Thank you" Lavinia replied.

"It's a shame you are about to be fucked for the second time today" the flower laughed coquettishly.

Lavinia said nothing, and the flower began to recite a poem about a rooster.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo, any cock will do!" the flower screamed.

Lavinia left the bathroom and returned to the bedroom, where Sebastian was waiting.

"How are you feeling?" Sebastian asked.

"As well as can be expected. The flower believes I am a slut, and who am I to disagree"

Sebastian, who had long been a witness to Lavinia trips, refrained from answering the question.

'If you are ready," Sebastian began, "I will escort you downstairs."

"I'm as ready as I'll every be"

Brother and Sister linked arms, and began the descent to the dining room,neither one knowing that this would be the last time they would be attending dinner together again.


	4. Chapter 4

Sebastian and Lavinia were 12, a year into their home-schooled magical education when the unraveling of their lives began.

It started innocently enough. Father Gaius came home from the Ministry one day and announced casually that he had been dismissed from his job. Gaius claimed that he had been targeted, and would not elaborate. Instead, he called the family together and informed them all that compromises would have to be made until he was able to find steady employment.

First to go were the luxuries. No more weekly shopping trips to Diagon Alley, no more dinners at the seaside, no more decorations for the house, no more toys or games for the children.

Second to go were the 'wants', the nicer clothes, the high end and exotic food, the wine, the fine silver and china

Third to go were the necessities. The magic tutor, a kind, elderly woman that Sebastian and Lavinia had been quite fond of, was sent packing, without the months severance pay she was promised. Mother Chrysanthe's wardrobe grew smaller and less elaborate. The beautiful paintings and tapestries the children had grown up disappeared with each passing day.

Fourth to go was Mother Chrysanthe's sanity. Shortly after the dramatic change in the family's financial situation became apparent, Chrysanthe's demeanor began to change. She began to keep more to herself and withdrew to the master bedroom, seldom coming out unless absolutely necessary. The house elves were no longer allowed in the master bedroom, and it fell to Sebastian or Lavinia to bring breakfast, lunch, and dinner trays to their mother. Father Gaius refused to cater to what he called 'Chrysanthe's dramatic outbursts', but the twins were compelled to do what they could to comfort their mother. Although both children were uncomfortable with their mother's decline in mental health, both took it upon themselves to ensure that she was fed, bathed, and taken care of. Once a day, the twins would go to the master bedroom and spend time with Chrysanthe, whether it was Sebastian reading to her from the Daily Prophet, or Lavinia singing her lullabies, or both of them chatting about their day, not that there was much to chat about.

Most disturbing to the twins was the change in their mother's physical appearance. Chrysanthe DiMera, nee Rosier, was well renowned for her beauty. In her youth, she was regarded as one of the most beautiful girls to ever grace the halls of Hogwarts, and there were many who speculated that there must have been veela in her ancestry. Like all beautiful women, Chrysanthe had a certain amount of vanity. Fearful that her looks would not last, Chrysanthe turned to any and everything that would provide her with eternal beauty. She became enamored and reliant on potions, beauty treatments, toxic flushes, hair dye, beauty charms, anything that would keep her away from the enemy of age. When it came time for her to choose a husband, Chrysanthe looked for security and stability over romance, someone who would be able to finance the multitudes of beauty treatments she required in order to keep up appearances. Chrysanthe had her pick of every eligible bachelor, but gave her hand to young Gaius DiMera, an up-and-coming Compliance Officer in Department of International Magical Cooperation. The DiMera family was considered to be dignified enough. Their lineage traced back to Helena Ravenclaw, and the family was know for their considerable amount of wealth and influence, especially within the magical communities of Spain. Chrysanthe was pleased with her choice in a husband, for not only was he wealthy, he was rather handsome with his dark hair and dark eyes. Gaius and Chrysanthe made an striking couple, and Chrysanthe was convinced that she had found her happily-ever-after.

It was two years into their marriage when Chrysanthe realized that Gaius was not as secure and stable as she had thought him to be.

During one of her semi-annual trips to Gringotts, she was informed by one of the goblins that the DiMera vault had been moved from 417 to 888. When asked why the change in vault, the goblin informed her that there simply wasn't enough money to fill 417, and that they needed to make way for family's that had the wealth necessary to fill the vault.

Chrysanthe left the bank confused. When she confronted Gaius about it, he had no response except that he had several business ventures that had failed, and that the family fortune would return to its former state of glory soon.

Soon never came, and the family found itself living paycheck to paycheck off of Gaius' salary. Fortunately for the DiMera's, the Department of International Magical Cooperation paid very well, and the family was able to live comfortably. This was padded by fact that Gaius had inherited the DiMera estate, along with all it's beautiful and valuable contents, and it was in this fashion that the DiMera's were able to keep up the illusion of financial security.

Shortly before Gaius lost his job, Chrysanthe discovered what Gaius' business endeavors actually were. What she learned deeply disturbed her, and was never quite able to recover from the shock.

The final straw was the sudden decline in the DiMera income. After Gaius lost his job, and it became apparent that he would not be gainfully employed for quite some time, something inside Chrysanthe cracked. She ceased dyeing her hair and ended all of the beauty treatments she had come to love and depend upon. Chrysanthe's weight increased, and she spent more and more of her time sleeping. Even the daily visits from the twins did nothing to combat her depression. She became an emotional and psychological invalid, and there was nothing that could be done to pull her out of the doldrums.

It was Lavinia who first noticed that her mother was slipping away from reality. One day, Lavinia went up to her mother's room for her daily visit. It was still difficult for Lavinia to see her mother cloistered in her room, lying listlessly in the great canopy bed, no makeup, unadorned by expensive jewelry, her eyes tired, her face pale, her hair unbrushed. As Lavinia inched closer to the bed, she noticed that her mother was in a daze. Chrysanthe looked through, not at her daughter, and it was quite some time before she spoke

"Aging! It is a slow death for a beautiful woman!"

"Mother", whispered Lavinia, "It's me, Lavinia. I'm here"

"Lavinia?" Chrysanthe whispered back, confusion in her voice. "Lavinia, that's my daughter's name. My beautiful baby girl. Have you met her? She is probably off playing with her brother, Sebastian. The two are inseparable."

Lavinia froze, unsure of what to do or what to say.

Suddenly, Chrysanthe laughed, a strange and hideous peal of thin laugher. She beckoned for Lavinia to come closer. Lavinia obliged, and as soon as she reached the edge of the bed, Chrysanthe grabbed the front of Lavinia's robe and pulled her close.

Mouth to Lavinia's ear, Chrysanthe whispered to Lavinia the things she had been thinking over and over in her mind.

"Gaius doesn't think I know, but I do. I know what Gaius does, I know where Gaius goes. I know what he does with those filthy witches. I know the sadistic things he does and they won't go unpunished. Gaius has unleashed a curse on this family..." Suddenly Chrysanthe stopped and looked directly at Lavinia, recognizing her for the first time that day. Mother said nothing to daughter for a few seconds.

Then finally, Chrysanthe spoke.

"Take care my girl, the darkest hour has yet to come."

Lavinia cut her time with her mother short. After her visit was over, Lavinia went to Sebastian's room, to tell him what had happened with mother.

Sebastian didn't say anything for a minute, and then told Lavinia what he had witnessed a few days ago in his mother's bedroom. Sebastian told Lavinia that their mother had thought he was their father, and and gone on and on about corrosion, prostitution, sexual deviancy, and sin. Sebastian stated that when he had tried to approach Father Gaius about these accusations, he was told to leave the room immediately and to not believe anything the cunt said.

Lavinia turned this over in her mind. She asked Sebastian a question.

"Do you think it's true? Do you think Father is involved in something...sinister?"

Sebastian looked his sister dead in the eye and answered her question"

"Yes darling, I think he is. Why else would Lucius Malfoy be coming to dine with us tonight?"


End file.
